An Open Letter to the FCC on Net Neutrality

Over the past 30 years, the internet has transformed the world in immeasurable ways. As internet use spread from universities to the mainstream, millions of people were able to access and contribute knowledge, build businesses and connect with the world - at first with simple dialup modems over phone lines and later with more advanced technologies.

From the earliest days, there was a recognition that the company that brought the internet to your door was selling un-curated access. There was only one internet and it was the same everywhere. When you had access to it you were on equal footing with everyone else. You could communicate, interoperate, build, and share. The company you chose could not select services for you or penalize traffic to and from particular endpoints.

For the most part, this is still true today - but it is due primarily to the fact that the internet came to us under the model of a common carrier. It is, and has been like the phone system - a system whose neutrality and fairness of access are key to its value as cultural and economic infrastructure.

For these reasons, I urge the FCC to classify Internet Service Providers as Title II Common Carriers.